The Teaching
by alexisgurl103
Summary: so this is basically what happens after the reckoning by kelley armstrong so spoiler alert if you havent read that already. its got chloe and derek scenes but thats not all im focusing on. please read it!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This is my first fan fiction and I don't think I really have any idea what I'm doing, so if I suck at life I apologize(: By the time you get to the end of the chapter I hope you like it! So rate and review! Umm also, I'm not going to make my Chloe a crybaby haha because I've read other stories where she literally bursts into tears at almost anything anyone says. So I'm going to try to stay true to her. This is going to be after The Reckoning so the entire thing will have references to spoilers. And here's a warning to all, there may be intense Chlerek scenes!! Derek is my absolute favorite!! If I make any grammar or spelling mistakes or anything like that please tell me and I'll get right on it and fix it! By the way as a disclaimer: I do not own Darkest Powers or any of these characters. Just in case any of you not so bright bulbs thought I did. ~love alexis!**

My name is Chloe Saunders. I used to be the kind of girl that nobody thought twice about. It didn't bother me at all, actually it made things easier. It meant less people would mock my stutter. Now, there are people that want to kill me. Yeah, not just one person, a whole group.

They call themselves the Edison Group. Do you want to know why? The think that they take a practical and scientific approach to matters of the paranormal. You may not know but Thomas Edison was very interested in contacting the dead. He didn't try to draw a pentagram and summon them up though. He tried to make a phone to the afterlife. Obviously he never succeeded.

Too bad he didn't know that all it took was being born a necromancer and talking to them would be a cinch. Summon them up? No problem. Send them back to their rotting corpses? Easy. Rip them out again and let them hang in limbo? Give me something new please. Actually that's really not the norm. I am a genetically enhanced necromancer. That lovely Edison Group that we were talking about before, yeah they did this to me. The altered my genes before I was born just to see what the effect would be. They wanted to know if it would make it easier for me. Well apparently messing with things you have no idea about is not a good plan. Not only can I do all of the above, but I do it on accident. Most necromancers require ingredients and chants to do stuff like that. Yeah burning sage and vervain just like all the old movies. I don't need that. I guess I'm just lucky.

As for movies, if you were to make one about me, you would have to start it after I got into high school. Otherwise you would have a pretty boring movie. Trust me, before I saw my first ghost, I was a film student. So let me tell you how my movie would go.

First we start with an average girl, who's just going about life as usual, and what do you know, her long awaited period starts. Just to have fun she dies her hair and skips class. Then she starts hearing ghosts. She runs screaming down the halls running from ghosts and yelling about janitors with their faces burned off. So her aunt and concerned father send her to Lyle House, a group home for mentally disturbed teens. Only it turns out that she's not disturbed and the Edison Group runs Lyle House. She meets a sorcerer, a witch, two half demons, and a werewolf. Said werewolf, otherwise known as Derek becomes the romantic interest in this film when he and I are forced to go on the run and protect each other. We all discover that the Edison Group is murdering their failed experiments whose powers became uncontrollable. I, being the heroine am able to overcome these difficulties by making a deal with a demi-demon who helps me escape from the Edison Group's laboratory and rescue Derek, his foster brother Simon, the sorcerer, their father Kit, my Aunt Lauren, who I thought had died, and my new best friend/previous rival/witch, Tori. We all go to a hotel off the highway to recuperate and now you're all caught up.

It makes a good story doesn't it? Except something I left out, the Edison Group hasn't been permanently stopped. Unfortunately leaving their headquarters in shambles has probably only pissed them off. They will come after us so we all get to go on the run again. Hooray!

Also, whoever they had funding their little experiment isn't going to be pleased that all that money got away which equals them trying to get us back. Something called a cabal will be hot on our trail before we know it.

Honestly though, for now, I wasn't thinking about any of that because I was sitting with Derek. And we were alone. Let me tell you how many times that had happened since we both realized out feelings for each other. A resounding zero! It seemed like there was just never an opportunity.

"What have you been wondering about?" he asked me, his voice sounding peaceful while we walked through the little forest by the hotel. "It's driving me crazy. I come out here to spend some time with you and you spend it off in another world."

I knew he was joking but I defended myself anyway. "I've been thinking about everything that just happened. I know it's crazy but I can't help but feel like we're about to walk into another trap."

"It's over Chloe, at least for now. It's definitely going to take them awhile to get back on their feet. But even when they do, we have my dad to help us with this. We're not vulnerable anymore," he reminded me.

"We have you too," I muttered forgetting about his werewolf hearing.

He smiled, and I didn't care that I had just embarrassed myself. I thought back to the first time I saw him smile, how his bright green eyes lit up. So I just stared at him. Until of course I realized how much of an idiot I must look like so I quickly started looking around at our surroundings.

_Yeah Chloe, smooth. He'll never notice you were just gawking if you look at everything else around here?_

I commanded my inner voice to shut up and stop ruining the moment. I knew he hadn't minded anyway.

We walked in silence for awhile. It definitely wasn't anything awkward though. Things never felt awkward around Derek anymore. They used to, but they hadn't for a long time.

"Hey Chloe, would it be okay if I asked you a question?"

"Why yes Mr. Souza, as long as you're being so formal about it."

He chuckled and my stomach did flips. I'm not talking little butterflies playing; I'm more talking about giant pterodactyls swooping around like Cirque du Soleil.

"Why did you choose me?" I instantly sobered; "I'm not doubting you and I definitely don't want you to change your mind but…" he trailed off but when he realized I was waiting for him to finish he said "Simon would have been healthier for you."

"Derek, let me explain something to you," I stopped walking and turned to face him and made him look at me by grabbing the sides of his face and holding him there and continued, "You make me happy, when everything else slips away, you keep me standing. Being with you helps me realize that, yeah there are problems but if I have someone with me, then I can overcome them. You understand me better than anyone could. I-" I paused, "We are good together." I finished firmly and released him.

I tried to walk away and hope he didn't see my cheeks flaming, but he did. Like I knew he would.

"Thank you Chloe." He wrapped me in his arms and held on tight.

"Big, stupid, werewolf," I said into his chest.

He rumbled a laugh and we headed back to the hotel hand in hand.

Once we got back, I immediately realized there was a problem. Call me paranoid but when I see Tori storming around repacking her suitcase after just unpacking it, I assume something is wrong. And wouldn't you know it, I was right.

"Tori, what's wrong?" I called after her as Kit simultaneously said "Please understand Tori, I had no way to tell you!"

"Oh no," I muttered suddenly realizing what the problem is. "Time to go," I said trying to pull Derek with me as I fled to the door.

"What happened?" he asked bewildered, staying rooted to the spot.

"Tell you later, now let's go," I said with more force tugging harder at his arm.

"Chloe-" he growled.

"Not now Derek."

Then Simon walked in. Great, I thought, just great. Does he know yet? He spotted my look of panic.

"Did you know about this?" he asked marching up to me.

That answers that I thought. "W-w-well yeah b-b-but Simon, I couldn't t-t-tell you because you had to hear it from your D-D-D-" I stammered

He cut me off, "Do you really think that this is the situation I would have chosen to figure out that I have a sister?"

"Well no, b-b-but-" I tried again.

"Sister? Chloe what's going on here?" Derek but in.

W-w-well, Mrs. Enright-" I hesitated.

"Stole Dad's semen!" Simon interjected when I didn't finish. "She wanted a half-witch, half-sorcerer daughter and she got one. From Dad."

"Well, it wasn't his fault!" I rushed to his defense.

"No but he should have told us. Don't you defend him Chloe! He was wrong and you know it." Simon argued.

And it was true. I agreed wholeheartedly, but I didn't think Kit deserved this much punishment for it. Fortunately it was Derek that saved me. Again.

"Hey back off man, she couldn't have told you."

"When did we switch places Derek? Are you just happy that you didn't have to be the one who's the blood relative to her?"

"Hey Simon, back off okay? He might as well be blood with you and your dad, so he pretty much is blood with Tori too. He just understands that there isn't anything that can be done about it now." I was trying to repay the favor but Derek still squirmed a little at "blood with Tori too."

She really wasn't bad at all though, especially not lately, considering it was her who figured out that Margaret and Andrew plotted against us when we were still back at the safe house. Without her we probably wouldn't have figured it out until it was too late.

With that Tori and Kit rushed in, "I don't care, I don't care I don't care. If you wanted the father of the year award you would have found me a long time ago and told me," she said resolutely.

"Would you have believed me?" Kit's voice was soft, reasonable. "A strange man comes up to you and says," His voice becoming deeper, "'Your mother stole my semen little girl, so that she could make you because you're very special, you're half-witch, half-sorcerer. Why don't you come live with me and I'll tell you all about it okay?' Tori, you never would have believed me."

It was true, and she knew it, but honestly I just don't think she was ready to give up being angry and upset. She had just lost her mother and found out her father wasn't her real father. Here was a man who was offering a replacement; but a replacement wasn't what she wanted. On top of it all, she just found out that guy she used to like was her half-brother. She just needed time to think.

"Okay," she said surprising the hell out of me. "You're right. I wouldn't have believed you. Just… Just give me some time okay?"

"She walked outside, and I saw Liz following her with a pad of paper and a pencil to communicate. Things would be okay.

The shrill ring of the phone made everyone jump.

I tensed as my aunt went and picked it up.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

Everyone tensed and after the garbled noise I could barely hear that came from the phone, Derek relaxed.

"Hotel management," he said gruffly explaining, "They want us to keep the noise down."

I laughed out loud. I really was becoming paranoid. My aunt hung up the phone and laughed with me. "Nothing to worry about there! As long as Tori stays quiet." she said happily.

It rang again, no one but me jumped this time. I felt a little embarrassed, except that everyone here knew me and how jumpy I was. Aunt Lauren drifted over to the phone again, a smile still on her lips. She answered the phone for the second time, but this time Derek froze and the smile slid off her lips immediately.

Whoever it was, it was not hotel management.

"Chloe!" I heard Liz yell. "Tori's gone! They took her!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Gosh! I'm so happy that the reaction was so positive to my story. I had thought that some of it might seem like fluff, and likewise I'm worried that some of this will seem like fluff but I'm hoping not. I don't know if anyone is even reading this note but I want to thank everyone who reviewed it. I responded to everyone except my very first reviewer because for whatever reason it would not let me so, thank you cocobutterlybonbons for being the first and being so sweet!! I'm a little hesitant to do anything to radical for fear of losing readers, but I have to be true to what's in my head otherwise the story might sound weird. I have all these ideas for possible plot points, which totally surprises me cause I always thought I was a write what's in my head at the time kind of writer but whatever. Thank you again, I hope you like it!(:**

**On a personal note, just if anyone cares, I totally got a ticket today. From a cop! Yeah for jaywalking!! Who cares about jaywalking? Nobody. I was walking home from school and he just gave me a ticket. So yeah, I just wanted to vent a little, now on to the main event! Disclaimer: none of these characters belong to me and P.S. just because I forgot to say it in the last one, and I'm never writing a disclaimer again for this story, just take it as a given. But I wanted you all to know. And now the main event for real;)**

"_Chloe!" I heard Liz yell. "Tori's gone! They took her!"_

As Liz rushed back in the room with a look of panic on her face, I swore, which earned me a very surprised look from Kit and mocking raised eyebrow from Simon. I reminded myself that they didn't know what had happened, having neither bionic hearing or necromancer powers.

"Something happened to Tori," I explained, looking back to Aunt Lauren. "Who's on the phone?" When she didn't answer I turned to Derek and repeated my question.

"I don't-" he began, and then paused, "I don't know." He looked frustrated. I could only imagine what that was like for him. He was used to having all the answers. For a second, I forgot our situation and became lost in his pain.

It was Simon who snapped me back to reality. "Chloe, what's going on? Who has Tori?" Maybe it was just me but I thought it seemed like he cared more than he would have yesterday. I know he would have still cared, but maybe having Tori as a sister didn't bother him as much as I had thought. He seemed protective and caring like a guard dog. I laughed in my head, maybe we should leave that position to Derek, but he reminded me why I always wanted a brother.

Growing up, most of my friends had siblings. I was always jealous but I never shared it, especially after my mom died. I couldn't imagine putting that burden on my dad with as much as he worked and how stressed out he was. I just always hoped that maybe he would meet someone. She would never replace Mom of course, but maybe I could have someone who was around all the time who I could tell me secrets to; someone that I didn't have to introduce myself to every time we moved.

I knew from Simon that it was hard to move even with a brother, but still, it was an out of reach desire that I never really gave up on.

"Chloe!" Simon again, breaking into my reverie.

"Aunt Lauren," I called hoping for answers. All I got was her back turning to me as she listened to what the caller had to say. "Derek," I turned to him. He was staring intently at Aunt Lauren hopefully waiting until he had enough information to tell me. As soon as he looked down though, Aunt Lauren hung up.

"Chloe, I don't know who that was but they have Tori," Aunt Lauren looked pained but instead of continuing, she pulled Kit off to the side with a hushed, "Can I talk to you outside?" Bewildered, he followed her.

Both Simon and I turned to Derek, knowing that whatever Aunt Lauren was hiding, he would know what it was.

He looked uncomfortable being in the spotlight and shifted nervously. "I'm not sure you should know," he mumbled.

If Derek was keeping secrets then I was pretty sure it was something bad. So I said nothing. Apparently Simon shared my viewpoint though he still looked upset that he wasn't being let in on the secret. Unlike me however, Liz was desperate for answers.

"Chloe, you can't just accept that! We need to know! We can follow them, we can get her back!" she insisted. "They can't have gotten far, we'll just have Derek track them until we find them and-"

"Liz, hold on a second, we don't even know who it is," I reminded her gently.

"Yes we do," a voice rumbled from behind me, "Simon, I… I think it was your mom." Simon looked stunned. "Your birth mom," he clarified, taking Simon's expression for confusion.

"I know who you meant," Simon said, a little peevishly. "We didn't even know where she was. She disappeared when I was only two. That was before I even met you Derek. How could you know anything about her?"

"Well," he paused, I stopped for a second, trying to think back to the last time Derek had looked this distressed. "I've… you know… seen home videos and stuff," he shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes staring at the ground.

Simon sat down looking baffled. "I just never imagined that I'd ever even hear about her again."

"She's not coming back for you, Simon," Derek said trying to look at his brother's expression. It may have sounded cruel or harsh to anyone else, but I knew that he was just trying to be blunt, keep Simon from getting his hopes up, because if that happened, he'd be crushed, his dreams dashed, when he realized his mother wasn't back for him.

My Aunt Lauren and Kit came back in before Simon could respond, which might have been a good thing because I don't think even he knew what he was going to say. I was so preoccupied with Simon that at first I didn't notice how white-faced Kit was, or that my aunt had begun to speak.

I looked at her, and tried to make it look like I had been listening from the beginning. If she noticed, she didn't say anything.

"Kids, there's something we have to tell you," Kit began wringing his hands looking like this was the last place in the world he wanted to be, as well as with the last people.

The part of me that desired nothing more than to help everyone and make things easier for anyone that I came into contact with forced me to blurt out, "We know."

"Oh," he looked both relieved and annoyed and shot a glance to Derek. "Good. Well there's something else that you need to know, that Derek can't have told you yet," his gaze shifted to Simon, and rested there for the next several seconds before going on to say, "Your mother knew about the Edison Group. I told when you were young that she didn't mainly because I thought she got out of their business. That was the reason she left. She didn't want to go on the run when she knew that all they wanted was you. Your mother is human, but she was a lawyer just like me and the Edison Group was recruiting at that time. They always needed to be prepared for legal action. And so it went. We fell in love, we had you, and they promised an easier life for you. That was all we wanted.

"Obviously we realized that that wasn't the plan at all," he said bitterly, "and so we ran."

When he trailed off, things got quiet, giving me a chance to mull over what had just been revealed to me. My inner voice and I began to argue making me question if I really did have a little bit of schizo in me.

_Obviously if he wasn't willing to tell you the truth we can't trust him._

Yeah right, he's Simon and Derek's dad. Of course he's being honest with us. What would he have to lie about anyway?

_Oh I don't know, maybe he wants to get back with the woman he loved._

The woman he loved doesn't exist anymore if she would steal his daughter.

_She probably doesn't know that she's his daughter, obviously if she was working with someone else, which she is because why else would she want a teenage witch/sorcerer, they wouldn't have told because some kind of moral conflict could have arisen._

Maybe, but I doubt it, if she's working with someone else, which I also think she is, I doubt she really cares about her old life because clearly she knew Kit would be here because that's the only way they could have tracked Tori down. Through him.

My inner voice had nothing to say to that but I could hear her fretting. Finally she came up with something to argue about.

_They could have so easily come in and grabbed us too. They could have frozen Derek, so he couldn't warn us, and then grabbed all of us._

Or just shot us.

_They didn't just shoot Tori. They want her for something. We need to talk to someone who was involved with the Edison Group. You're a necromancer! Summon up some ghosts!_

Or the demi-demon.

But even as I thought it a chill ran through me. I didn't think she had wished me any harm, Diriel. I don't think I could forget her. The full demon that had shown up had forced her to leave, right? Or had that just been a clever ruse to get her out of her contract? But she had promised to help anytime after that I needed it.

Thinking about the full demon sent a chill through me so deep that it made my bones quake. Even a demi-demon, the most powerful thing that I could imagine was frightened of him. I didn't know his name but he had petrified me to my core. The very thought of him made my blood run cold. Also, something the demi-demon had said, I couldn't remember it exactly but I knew, or speculated I guess would be more accurate that he had wanted to sire a child with me. But before I had time to dwell on that, Diriel jumped into my head again. I thought only men demons made children. Everything I had read about them in Andrew's had said demons sired children. That indicated men, but maybe no one had met women demons?

While all of this intrigued me, unfortunately I knew that I didn't have time to think about it. Tori was missing and I had to find her. I decided a good way to do that was by summoning the Diriel, and asking her to help.

Just then I remembered that only Tori and Simon knew about her and maybe Aunt Lauren. And I couldn't imagine that Derek was going to take it well. Summoning a demon? Even I thought it sounded stupid. But I thought it would work, so I wasn't going to let him talk me out of it, not if it could save Tori.

"Derek," I began firmly, determined not to take no for an answer, "there's something that I need to tell you."

**Authors Note: I stayed up to finish that for you guys! I'm on the east coast though so some people on my side of the country might already be in bed, who knows? Review it please(: even if you already reviewed the first one. Haha review them all! I'm going to be a monster; I can just see it coming! Look what you all have created!! Thanks again for all of the encouragement!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: So I just realized that that line in the last one totally sounded like the last line in The Summoning! Hahaha thank you so much for the reviews and everything. They mean so much to me! Anybody who like doesn't write can't even imagine I don't think. Maybe not all writers feel this way either but whatever.(: Enough blabbing! **

"_Derek," I began firmly, determined not to take no for an answer, "there's something that I need to tell you."_

Everyone turned to look at me and Derek had a look in his eye like he was ready for trouble. From me of course. I don't think he'd worry very much about any other kind of trouble.

I told myself that he didn't know about the silent argument that had just gone on in my head so there was no way he could be expecting anything. I knew it was crap though, Derek knew me better than I knew myself, and I was sure he could detect any emotion of mine with ease.

"There is something I would like to do," I sounded defiant even to my own ears.

_No one's even disputed you yet Chloe, chill out._

Right, chill out, everything will be okay, if it's best for us, then Derek has no reason to disagree. "I want to summon the demi-demon." Good, straight to the point, no nonsense, that'll make it harder to argue with. I'll just give them a chance to think about it, and then I'll tell them why it's the best idea.

"No." There goes my first theory.

"You didn't even ask why!" I said, thoroughly provoked. There goes my second.

"It's out of the question, so I don't need to ask why. Demons, even demi-demons are deceitful, tricky, and hard to manage," Derek said calmly, certain he was going to win this.

"Oh, yes," I said in a girly falsetto, "I forgot about that! They would easily change my mind and force me to do things I wouldn't normally, I'm just so," I fell back into a chair, "vulnerable!" I finished dramatically, looking up at him with doe eyes. Simon laughed.

He just snorted. I stood up again, "Stop that or someone will confuse you with a pig!"

He held back a smile and opened his mouth, to mock me probably, but didn't get a chance because Kit asked, "Wait, you said _the _demi-demon, do you have a particular one in mind?"

Derek looked stunned, apparently the thought hadn't occurred to him, and considering I had only known about my origins for a month, it wasn't surprising. If I hadn't met Diriel already, I would know nothing about demons of any sort.

"Well, yes actually, I would like to summon the demon, Diriel."

Kit blanched, "Chloe, even if you had the power to summon her, no one knows anything about her. She would be even more impossible to control than you can imagine."

"If I can release her I'm sure I can summon her right back up again." I met his white-faced gaze and realized that he didn't know that I had released her. Oops.

His already pale face began to look like a sheet and even Aunt Lauren looked a little frightened.

"Chloe, honey, I'm sorry, but I think Derek is right on this one. Demons are just too," she struggled for a word, and came up with, "tricky."

"I made a deal with her before and she seemed to genuinely want to help," I wasn't sure their approval mattered, but I, being me, wanted it anyway. I was expecting a "Obviously she was lying little girl." But I got a…

"She certainly wasn't there to help when we had to get out of there by ourselves at the end," Simon muttered.

I glared at him. "No, another demon came to get her, it wasn't her choice."

"Jeez how many demi-demons have you met?" Simon joked.

I laughed at that. But it was a strained laugh. If they were worried about Diriel, what would they do when they found out I met a real full demon.

"Chloe…" Derek led, a question clearly in his voice.

"Well actually, he was a full demon," I admitted reluctantly. When no one said anything, I continued with, "Well at least I'm not asking to summon _him_ up!"

"Also Chloe, there's a chance that you would have to exert yourself more than usual, and would, return any near spirits to their bodies." When I didn't respond, he mumbled, "Inadvertently." Derek wanted me to agree with him, he didn't want me to be forced into submission.

"I don't think that's all your worried about," I said walking over to him.

"Well, I've been thinking that there might also be ghosts following us like maybe Dr. Banks, or Royce, possibly even Davidoff and Mrs. Enright."

The thought hadn't occurred to me so I conceded, "Possibly, but none of them can really do any harm, and if I focus on Diriel, things should be okay. I have to do something. We need Tori back."

The desperation in my voice must have tipped off Derek that I wasn't going to back down because he finally agreed.

_One down, three to go._

What a pessimist. Derek was the only one I was really worried about anyway. I didn't want to go behind his back and do anything. Aunt Lauren would consider me too fragile to do anything, in her mind, I was still little Chloe who needed to be protected, but if Kit agreed, she would be out numbered and would go along with my plan. So I looked to him.

"Why don't you just summon Dr. Davidoff? He could probably tell us anything we needed to know," he pleaded.

"Davidoff was a small fish Dad, he wasn't the main one scheming," Simon joined my cause. That was good, but I guessed he would have anyway. Derek agreeing with me probably just verified that he was doing the right thing and saved him a fight and some dirty looks.

"And besides, who's to say he would tell the truth," I beseeched with my eyes.

"Okay, okay, you're right, but we need to make real arrangements, we'll do this tomorrow after we've had time to discuss some sort of contract."

I didn't tell him that we already had a contract and she hadn't completed it yet, but I didn't feel like arguing and it had been a long day. Actually, it had been a long month, so we all agreed to go to bed and talk about it tomorrow. As I predicted Aunt Lauren acquiesced and she too thought it a good idea to go to bed, she didn't think Tori was in any immediate danger, if they wanted her dead, they would have killed her last night. Whoever _they_ might have been.

Aunt Lauren and Tori and I had planned to share a hotel room but it looked like it was just going to be me and her tonight. Simon, Kit, and Derek would sleep in the room right next door so we could get to each other quickly and easily if we needed to. Liz would go where ever it is that ghosts go when we don't see them and she would return in the morning. It surprised me that she had stayed silent throughout that whole meeting, but I figured she was just in shock.

"Goodnight Chloe, I'll see you in the morning," she whispered and began to fade.

"Night Liz, don't worry, we'll get her back," I tried to ease her fear. She just nodded and disappeared.

Liz's leaving was like a cue for everyone, when she was gone, everyone dispersed, Simon and Kit went back to their room and Aunt Lauren disappeared to the bathroom in ours to take a shower. So that left Derek and me standing together.

I looked over at him, "You're sure this is okay, right?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, but it's the best lead we have, and I think you would do it whether I agreed or not, so I would rather not fight about it," he looked like he'd given this some thought. I didn't know how considering we hadn't talked about it very long ago, but hey, that's Derek for you, he's just a fast processor.

"That is very mature of you," I grinned up at him.

He smiled back, the kind of smile that made my heart skip a beat. Or five. But his eyes looked wrong, glittery and distant.

"Derek, are you okay? You feel warm, and your eyes are glittering. Are you going to change?" It sounded blunt, even to me, but I didn't know how to hide my concern.

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure I change on my own schedule now. As long as I do it about once a week, everything should be okay and I shouldn't have to worry about my body forcing the change. I can't be sure though since they messed with our genes." His eyes clouded with worry.

"Don't be stupid, you heard Davidoff, he said that everything seemed normal for you. Since you don't have any powers that are stronger than usual, I doubt there will be any unpleasant side effects either."

That, I learned, was how you dealt with Derek. Appeal to the facts, don't try to soften anything or it will come out wrong and he won't take you seriously. He wanted it to sound like he was worrying too much, that he didn't have anything to worry about, but at the same time he didn't want to seem like he pitied himself or that anyone else was pitying him. It was a delicate balance.

His eyes cleared and he looked at me gratefully, then his expression changed, worry filled his eyes again. He looked closely at me, confused. "Are you alright?" he asked unsure of himself.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"I smell…" his expression changed again, if he kept this up I was going to get whiplash. His face flushed, and muttered something about having to get back and go to bed. He kissed me quickly and dashed out the door.

I stared at the door that he left open and walked over to close it. Then, just as it happened before, I felt a gush between my legs. Mortified, I ran to the bathroom. If you could have seen my face the first time I had gotten my period and then seen it again then second time, you probably would have laughed at how much the two differed.

I buried my head in my hands and just sat on the toilet. I was so glad there were two bathrooms in our hotel room. When I heard the shower water shut off, I shoved toilet paper into my underwear and waddled out. Aunt Lauren stood there in a towel looking in the mirror, brushing her hair. She turned around and began to ask if I needed the shampoo until she saw the look on my face.

"Oh, honey, what's wrong?"

"We need to go to the store tomorrow," I said and marched out with as much dignity as I could with a ball of toilet paper in my pants.

"Did something happen? Did Derek-" she looked confused.

Derek, I groaned internally. He knew about it. He must have smelled it and thought I was bleeding because I was hurt. Eww, how disgusting. Now, he knew. I couldn't for the life of me remember why I was excited to get my period for the first time. I would have to deal with this every month until I got old. Great.

"I started my period again," I grumbled unintelligibly.

"What?"

"I started my period again," I said a little louder, hoping Derek couldn't hear me from the next room over. But I knew he could.

"Oh honey! That's wonderful!"

I stopped her before she could ask when it had happened for the first time. I didn't want Derek knowing I had been such a late bloomer.

"Yeah whatever, we need to pick something up to take care of this tomorrow."

She just nodded and told me she would let me use some of her "lady products" for tonight. I went to bed feeling embarrassed. Not that there was anything to be embarrassed about. It happened to all girls. I just would have rathered if my brand new boyfriend hadn't found out about it so soon. Or ever really.

I tried to push it from my mind and think about what tomorrow would hold and everything that we would have to do. Well, mostly everything that I would have to do. I really hoped Diriel could and would help us.

When I finally went to bed, I slept like a rock, or perhaps a more suitable metaphor would be like the dead? Anyway, when I woke up it was already 10:00. I must have been more tired than I thought. I was always the kind of girl who woke up at about 7:30. I mentally prepared myself for what was coming. I would be brave, not take no for an answer, and we would get Tori back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Wow the reviews just keep getting better and better! They are really amazing! All constructive criticism is welcome as well as all questions and if I make any spelling or grammar mistakes tell me as soon as you see them please(: I hope you liked Chloe's drama from the last chapter haha! Since it's the weekend I was able to update two days in a row. Woo hoo! Aren't you all lucky? Pshhh yeah right I make it sound like I'm the best author ever and you all just wait for my stories to come out, whatever, let me delude myself!**

_I really hoped Diriel could and would help us… I mentally prepared myself for what was coming. I would be brave, not take no for an answer, and we would get Tori back._

Before I summoned Diriel though, I thought maybe a nice breakfast would be good. I couldn't even remember the last time I ate, and as long as we were offered a complimentary breakfast, I was going to take advantage of it.

Aunt Lauren must have already headed down, because there was no sign of her anywhere in our room. I brushed my teeth and splashed some water on my face. I would have liked to take a shower but I was really hungry and my stomach told me that there just wasn't enough time for that. I put on deodorant and got ready to go over to the main lobby for breakfast. The hotel we were at was a small one, it would probably be more accurate to call it a motel, but the sign insisted it was a hotel. It had one story and was brightly lit. It seemed pretty plain, but it was a pleasant place. Everything was painted white, but the comforters on the beds and the lamp shades and towels were all green. There were paintings hanging on the walls to make it look modern, but it lacked a T.V. so there wasn't much to do. Not that that had been much of a problem for me lately.

It was nice here, no roaches crawling around at least, and no murderous sorcerers spell locking the doors, I thought glumly remembering Andrew, and the fate that had befallen him. He didn't deserve it. Yeah, he had done pretty bad things, with having Liam and Ramon go after Derek and trying to keep Simon and Derek from their dad, but he had truly thought it was for the greater good and he hadn't deserved to die.

I wondered what he would say if I had a chance to talk to him again. Would he say sorry, or did he believe that he had done the right thing all the way to the end? I could summon him, I thought, even if it was only for a second. It would be better just to leave him to his afterlife. But he could tell us more about Margaret and Russell.

_No Chloe, you're just trying to justify your own curiosity._

It was true. I doubted Margaret, much less Russell was a threat to any of us anymore. She had wanted a payoff, and when she got it she lost interest. She was worried about me though. She thought that I was a threat to the secrecy of our world. I wondered what she would do to protect that secrecy.

No, I decided I didn't need to worry about her anymore. If I found out she was causing trouble, then I would think about it then, because now I had more pressing matters to attend to. Like finding my friend.

It was true, I had begun to think of Tori as my friend, she had helped me numerous times and our bond had grown on its own. It sucked that just as soon as we had gotten close, she had been torn away from me.

While I had been thinking about all of this I had been getting undressed, and as soon as I was, I realized that I didn't have any other clothes to change into. I had been wearing these clothes for going on two weeks. When we got to the store, I was definitely going to see if I could pick something up.

I got redressed and left my room after grabbing the card key and went over to the boys' room, I knocked on the unadorned white door and no one answered. Just as I turned to leave, the door opened and there stood Simon.

"Sorry Chlo, I was testing my blood sugar," he came out and closed the door behind him pocketing his door key as he went, "the others already went down to eat breakfast, but I was sleeping in like you." He smiled his most Simony smile, the one that made him look like a little boy on Christmas morning.

I ruffled his hair as we walked, "With an All You Can Eat Buffet, no wonder Derek didn't wait for us. He's got to be hungrier than me, and that's saying something." We both laughed.

"Yeah right Chloe, I doubt you eat anything. That's how you stay so small."

"I may be small, but I could clobber you."

"Hey now, that's one bet I won't be taking." He laughed some more and we walked in silence the rest of the way.

When we got to the main building, he opened the door for me, and the smell of baked goods that wafted out made my stomach grumble. When I saw Derek's plate of food I laughed out loud. He had already been here for awhile, and what must have been at least his third or fourth plate was piled high. The desk manager was eying him unhappily. He looked up at me when he heard the door open and he smiled.

Having his father around must have been taking its toll because he looked great. He looked happy and worry-free and it was amazing to see him like this.

Also, since he began changing, the puberty smack down, as Rae and I used to call it, had really let up. His skin was clear and his hair didn't look dull or greasy. Also, as I'm sure he also had noticed, he wasn't having any problems with his body odor anymore.

I didn't think he would really notice his skin clearing up or his hair, because it wouldn't be important to him, but I knew how self conscious he was about taking a shower all the time and having deodorant. He needed it though, otherwise you could smell him by the end of the day. It wasn't his fault, that was just what his body had made him go through. Like how mine decided not to start puberty until I turned 15.

When that lovely thought flitted through my head, I remembered last night, and all its embarrassment, but I decided to ignore it. What else was I going to do? Talk about it? Sorry that I started my period last night honey I know it's gross but I didn't have any choice. He knew that, so we were just going to pretend it never happened. That was the plan.

I went to the long table full of food and grabbed two biscuits, one banana, a couple slices of an apple, a donut, and a strawberry strudel. I was excited for a real breakfast.

I left Simon, who was staring wide eyed at the food, to go sit by Derek. When I sat down he eyed my food with his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, because I'm the one with too much food here," I mocked him and made a show of showing how much higher his stack of food was than mine. "And I'll bet that's your third plate at least."

"Well I've also got about a hundred pounds on you and I'm more than a foot taller," he said while buttering a biscuit of his own.

"Are you trying to make me feel self conscious?" I widened my eyes, "I didn't think I needed to lose any weight, but if you think this isn't good for me." I pushed the plate away and grabbed only the banana. He looked at me for a second to verify I was just being sarcastic and then raised his biscuit to his mouth. I grabbed it from his hands, "On second thought, I don't think another biscuit will hurt." I took a huge bite of it, chewed and swallowed, then I smiled up at him. He beamed back and lowered his face to the top of my head and kissed it. I breathed him in.

Aunt Lauren and Andrew walked over from the table they were at and sat down. Neither of them looked very pleased, but at the same time they didn't look angry. Just uncomfortable, and maybe a little unsure that they were doing the right thing.

A big thing that I was worried about was that the demon was going to come with Diriel. Naturally I wasn't going to voice my fears, but it was still there nagging at me. Simon walked over with a plate of food.

Kit began the conversation by looking at Derek, then Simon, and then addressing me, "I don't think any of you know much about demons. I don't even know a lot. What I do know, is that you have to have an iron clad contract or the demon will find a loophole and you'll most likely end up dead. We're not trying to bind her so she shouldn't get too upset but in the event that we have to invoke her help, we need to be ready to bind her. Binding a demon is a very difficult task, and several who try, die during the attempt. There are very few in recent history who have succeeded. It is rumored that Samuel Lyle attempted the feat, but if he achieved his goal, he did not tell anyone."He paused to take a breath so I jumped in.

"He did achieve his goal Mr. Bae. Diriel was the demi-demon he summoned; he bound her to the building that the Edison Group was in and used her power to back his other projects, and when I released her, her power stopped running everything and that's what made the building collapse." I said everything very fast so it took him a second to catch up with me.

When he finally did, he didn't really know what to say so I continued, "When I released her we had a contract but she was unable to complete it so it's still in effect. She owes me. So we don't have to worry about making a new one right?"

"I think that's how it works," he seemed unwilling to admit this. I guessed it was because he didn't have all the facts, I realized how many of Kit's traits that he had passed on to Derek. Speaking of Derek, he was staying awfully silent. I looked over at him and he was just munching on an apple listening to us. He didn't know enough to make a call, so he wasn't going to. He would only probably have anything to say if our decision put anyone in danger. When he caught me looking at him, he rested his hand on my knee.

Encouraged, I went on, "But there really wouldn't need to be any need to bind her, and considering that none of us know how, it would probably be too dangerous to try. The risks would outweigh the benefits. Plus I think we can trust her."

"Chloe," Kit looked at me softly, "you can never trust a demon, no matter what. All they are interested in is personal gain they care nothing for the trivial problems of humanity. If they can help it, the only reason they get involved with us is to start wars and sire children."

"But of all the wars started in the last century, demons are only responsible for about a tenth, and that's being generous," I said and realized I was quoting the demi-demon almost word for word.

_Good Chloe, you now completely believe what a demon says. They're all known for their honesty you know._

Shut up.

"Where could you have possibly learned that?" Kit looked suspicious.

"Oh, I don't know. Someplace or another I guess." Don't keep asking. Don't keep asking. Don't keep asking. Just drop it. Drop it. Drop it. It's not important. It's so not important.

"Mmmm," he mused. "Well, call her up then."

"R-right now?" I was all for it, but it was a little shocking; I needed more time to prepare. I trusted her but-

"Yes, now. We can all go back to your room and you can summon her."

Derek noticed my hesitation, "It's okay Chloe, we just really need to hurry. We don't have a lot of time to waste."

He was right. "Okay, let's go."

We headed off to my room and when we got there my hands fumbled with the key card until I finally got the door open and we went inside. I knew I was just being stupid, but it looked scarier. It looked too open, like there was too much room. I felt small and insignificant, knowing it was about to get worse. You can't look any more frail than you do when compared to a hell raising almost all powerful demon. But we had gotten along and I had actually grown to like her, so I was really hoping she wasn't going to smite me on sight or something.

I told everyone to sit down, because I didn't know what she was going to look like when she was free, or if she would even have a form. I was also wondering if they would be able to see her. I knew she wasn't a dead sprit, but I still didn't know how that worked.

I began first by just calling to her, out loud like I had called the woman in the cemetery with Margaret. "Diriel, I would like to see you please." I wondered if I needed some kind of personal effect, but I wiped the idea from my mind so I could focus on calling her.

When nothing happened, I called again, "Diriel, please come to me, I have a few questions to ask you."

Still nothing.

I ramped it up even more, but only mentally, I didn't say anything. I figured it was harder because she was in some kind of other dimension. I think she had mentioned something about there being dimensions.

"Diriel," I whispered, "come here please."

Suddenly the room got cold, and the lights flickered. I heard a musical lilting voice, "Child, you escaped, how wonderful. I was worried that you would be unable to get out of that place. I am pleased to find you unharmed, and with your lone wolf, how lovely. And his foster family too. And dear Auntie Lauren escaped unscathed as well. Good, good. But where is the young spellcaster?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Okay sorry if this has kind of taken forever, but I've been kind of distracted. Things around the house have been crazy, then I got writers block. Not like I didn't have anything to have happen, more like I didn't know how to make it happen. And with Diriel and everything I wanted something good to happen in this chapter. Also, I was afraid if I tried to force it, it would sound forced and the chapter would suck. So hopefully it's worth the wait. Comment please and review, your reviews do not go unloved. I cherish them! Haha no really I just come on here and read them and smile like an idiot. I started Kelley Armstrong's other series and it's really good. Give it a read if you haven't already!**

_Suddenly the room got cold, and the lights flickered. I heard a musical lilting voice, "Child, you escaped, how wonderful. I was worried that you would be unable to get out of that place. I am pleased to find you unharmed, and with your lone wolf, how lovely. And his foster family too. And dear Auntie Lauren escaped unscathed as well. Good, good. But where is the young spellcaster?"_

"She was kidnapped," I didn't know how to address her, should I call her Diriel, or was that a no-no? She greeted me like an old friend but come on, hello Chloe, she's a demon she wants you to lower your guard.

"Ah, so you expect me to uphold the contract that we made, considering I was unable to do so while we were still at the Edison Group's hideaway?"

"Yes. Please, I wouldn't have called you if there was another choice. Tori is my best friend, and I will not let them hurt her. We know who took her, but we don't know who's in on it. We assume she's been hired. You have to help me, your contract is incomplete."

"Oh I have to do I?" Wind whipped around me, causing my hair to fly into my eyes, I pushed it out anxiously looking around, realizing that it wasn't going to help. Diriel hadn't taken on a form so I only knew where she was when she was speaking.

"Chloe what's going on? What's she saying?" Derek rushed up to my side, looking around also. I guess that answered my question from before. No, anyone other than necromancers could not hear demons unless the demon happened to be in human form.

"I don't think she wants to fulfill her contract," I looked at him desperately. This was our only chance, we had no other way of knowing what had gone on at the Edison Group, or if they had hired Simon's mom." I began to think only of Tori and what she was going through. Where was she?

"Child, I never said that I would not help you," the demi-demon's words shocked me back to the conversation.

"What?" My head shot up to look straight into the space where I thought her face would be.

"I am indeed bound to help you, but more than that I would like to get back at those who imprisoned me for so long." A look of hope crossed my face and I continued to look at where the sound of her voice was coming from. "However," here it came: the condition, the one that made it impossible for me to accept her help. It would be something along the lines of, and we have to kill everyone from the group. Not that I would even be too upset about that but I knew it was wrong so I could never let anything like it happen. At least not until it was the only choice left. Or maybe something like: Give me your soul in exchange.

_That's stupid Chloe, you know she doesn't want to be trapped in a human body, and she's as free as a bird right now._

"However," she repeated, "you are not in control of me. I am not a corpse to be commanded. I am a demi-demon, I am Diriel," and with that she materialized into human form.

I was shocked for a second, she was very beautiful. She had long black hair, down to her mid-back, she was very tall, probably about 5'10", her face looked just like a model, and her eyes were startling, at first they glowed orange like how Brady's and the dead guard's had, but after the first burst of color, they faded to a rich brown color with highlights of yellow in it, they were almost an amber color. Even though they looked common, I found myself just staring at them, my body automatically noticing something ethereal and focusing on it.

I forced my gaze away and glanced around at my companions to tell them that Diriel had promised to help us and I saw them gazing at her in much the same way I had. I cleared my throat and told them anyway.

Derek recovered first, a shocker I know. "Good," his resonate voice rang out against the silence, "Ask her to tell us what she knows about the Edison Group, does she think they were involved?"

"Ask her yourself," Diriel said and smirked at Derek and his taken aback look.

"Well uh, do you-" he began again, not used to her.

"No, I do not think they were behind this, but I do think they will be involved as soon as they are back on their feet. I would bet that they were aware the snatch was going to occur," she looked bored.

When she looked ready to speak again, Simon decided to join the conversation, "Hey, wait a second, when she said sister back at the Group's headquarters, she really meant sister. I could have found out then and you stopped it."

"Well, Simon I didn't think that was really the time what with us running for our lives and everything," I hadn't meant to sound so snappish but I wasn't in the mood. I was really trying to plan.

"I'm not angry Chloe, I just didn't think that was like you," he went over to the table we had been standing by and sat down.

Diriel looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. So naturally being the non confrontational person that I am, I decided to change the subject. "How do you know it wasn't the Edison Group?"

"They lack the subtlety it would take to not have a werewolf notice that someone was being kidnapped on his territory." Derek's lip curled. Aunt Lauren looked like she might have thought it was his fault, but then another look crossed her face. She had a very deep rooted mistrust of werewolves and it was going to take some time to completely dissipate.

"Also," she continued, looking like nothing had happened, but I had seen her gaze flit to both Derek and Aunt Lauren. Great, dissention, that's exactly what we want the demon who might want to kill us to see. "They are not anywhere near recovered from my magic slipping away from there."

I thought about the time I had released her. Why hadn't any demonic spirits come with her? I repeated the question out loud.

"Well," she began in a voice like she was explaining something very simple to a little child, "I asked them not to come very nicely." She smiled angelically. "Also, I called in a favor and had someone much stronger keep them from slipping through. That is why it took me a little longer than it usually would to answer your summons; I am normally much more prompt."

Why would she care if I had to deal with a few pests? Whatever, it was unimportant.

"So what's the plan?" I asked her desperately hoping she was planning something.

"Well boss, I was just going to follow you, but if you wish I could come up with something I think. We need to-" she was cut off, as I saw Liz appear.

"Liz, where have you been? This is Diriel, she's a demon. She has been telling us about the Edison Group and what they were like and-" this time it was her words, rather than her appearance that cut someone off.

"The Edison Group? Chloe we already worked out that it was Simon's mom!" she looked outraged.

"Well we don't think they're working alo-" I started before being interrupted. Again.

"You're asleep all morning and then when you finally wake up you don't even try to find Tori!"

This was surprising me. I had always thought of Liz as calm person, slow to anger. Slow, yeah right more like never to anger.

"I guess she just doesn't take priority for you. She was never great friends with you anyway so what does it matter if they're torturing her! God only knows what's happening." She looked hysterical. I didn't know what to say to her.

_Stop being crazy? Stop being stupid? Of course I care about Tori? How could you even say that I didn't?_

I rebelled at the thought. Liz had been there for me when I'd most needed someone. I had to be there for her too, even if she thought I was the bad guy. "Liz, Diriel is trying to help us find out who is involved because it's smart to wait. We need to plan things out. She's not in danger yet. If they wanted her dead, she'd be dead, so we can assume they don't. They might plan to get information from her. We need to know who and what we're up against before we charge at them and get ourselves killed."

She looked a little calmer. I wished now more than ever that I could just hold her. She looked on the verge of tears.

"Okay." Her voice was weak. "Okay." She repeated firmer. "What's the plan so far?"

"We were just about to find out." I turned to Diriel.

"Well, when they took," a pause "Tori was it? They took off in a car so our werewolf," another pause, "Derek, cannot hunt them down by scent alone." I almost wanted to laugh when I saw her use their names. It looked like a new experience. Being on a first name basis with children? Bah!

"We have two choices, we can either wait for their call-" she stopped abruptly as both Liz and I jumped forward.

"Unacceptable." I said, while Liz said "No way."

"Or," she gave us a meaningful glance, daring us to interrupt again, "we could steal the security tapes from the back room downstairs in the 'security office.' Even this place has video cameras to watch the parking lot and road. One of the few blessings of living in a technological era."

"Better, but how are we going to get in there? There's bound to be someone there watching?" Yep, that's me, always worrying about the fat sleeping security guard who might possibly wake up just in time to see us leaving and get confused.

In response Diriel just raised her eyebrows at me.

"We'll do it, right Lauren?" Kit volunteered.

"Absolutely, Kit can talk us out of anything just in case there's a problem, which there probably won't be anyway, but we would both feel more comfortable just handling this ourselves."

"Okay, that sounds good. We'll wait for night and then can you two do it then?" I asked putting the question in just so I didn't sound too bossy.

"Sure sweetheart. Will you go to the boys' room while we're gone? I don't want you in here by yourself." That was Aunt Lauren. One demi-demon and one poltergeist were definitely not enough to protect me for a half an hour while they grabbed a video tape.

The rest of the afternoon passed painstakingly slowly. It made me anxious to do something, so when darkness finally came, I was relieved enough to bolt to the door and swing it open waiting just long enough for my aunt and Diriel to follow; Liz just walked through the door.

I went over to the guys' room and knocked. The door swung open while my hand was falling for the third rap. I smiled and laid my already moving hand on Derek's chest, looked up and then walked in.

The guys' room was basically a mirror of the one I shared with Aunt Lauren, with only a few differences. For example, they had a T.V. equipped with a DVD and VCR player which was good because otherwise there would be no way to watch the tape we were about to steal. Also, it was spotless. They hadn't left a single thing out of place. Kit had suitcases for all three of them that he had been keeping in his van, but they were all lined up against the wall, waiting to be grabbed in case a quick escape was necessary.

I figured that was just what they were used to. The whole "be prepared and don't leave a trace of yourself" idea had never applied to me before. But I knew that as soon as we got back I was definitely cleaning up our hotel room.

"Okay, we'll be right back," Kit said with a smile as he and Aunt Lauren left the room.

I settled into the small couch in front of the T.V. and Derek came over and sat next to me. We both got comfortable and prepared to bide our time. Simon sat in the armchair across from us as Diriel just sat on the table that was in the room. Liz began to pace and we all made light conversation as we waited for the adults to come back with the evidence that would help us hunt down the jerks that had taken Tori.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: Alright, first let me apologize if this has taken awhile. It might not seem long, I don't really know. I got grounded, so while I was grounded, I started reading a lot, then I didn't want to stop so things got a little backed up. P.S. Kelley Armstrong's other books are quite fantastic! The characters are very dynamic(: umm that's really all I have to say, just thanks again for all the reviews! They've been awesome. Rate and/or review cuando terminas por favor (when you finish please) Hahaha how bilingual ;)**

_Liz began to pace and we all made light conversation as we waited for the adults to come back with the evidence that would help us hunt down the jerks that had taken Tori._

"Man, how long could it take?" I was the first one who had spoken in almost twenty minutes. The silence was really starting to bug me.

"Shh, they'll be back soon, Chloe. They haven't been gone long," it was Derek who reassured me. Which was a new one, I have to say.

"Child, relax. You have the luxury now. Just sit back and you can worry once the grown-ups get back," Diriel's tone sounded almost condescending but I decided to ignore it.

"Yeah, I'll just try not to worry my pretty little head," on second thought, about that ignoring thing…

Simon walked over, "Chloe, it's okay. It's one video tape. They'll snag it, we'll get the license plate number, then call one of Dad's contacts so he can find out who the car is registered to. No big deal. We're doing something, even though I know it doesn't seem like it right now."

"I know, Simon, I swear I know, but being cooped up like this, it's driving me crazy. I need to do something."

"Chloe," Derek's voice made me look over at him, "why don't we go out for another walk, maybe get your mind off things?"

"I don't think so; we should wait here for your dad and my aunt." Before I had even finished my sentence, his eyes turned despondent.

"There's the look, Chloe! Quick, look away!" Simon shouted at me.

"Derek…"

"Whipped puppy alert. Don't fall for it, Chloe. Tell him where to stick that look of his."

"It's okay if you don't want to. I mean I understand, it's fine." He turned his face away just a little.

"Fine. Hang on a second and let me grab a jacket first."

Diriel laughed and Simon chided me, "Chloe, I thought you'd have more resolve than that. What a sucker."

I grumbled something about being a jerk and grabbed a windbreaker from the suitcase on the floor. It was most likely Derek's, as it was about fifteen sizes too big.

We said quick goodbyes and headed out to the same forest we were in before. It was actually pretty nice, none of the impending doom creep factor I had begun to associate with forests these days. Though to be fair, I had to admit that with the right circumstances, it could easily turn menacing. When thoughts of other menacing forests started racing through my mind, I decided to start talking. Since I was already thinking about forests, a memory from the time Derek was Changing by the bus stop made me start to wonder about his changes.

"So, how is it going to work with your Changes now? You said something about once a week…?"

He didn't look at all surprised at my topic choice. "Well, according to what Dad knows, a civilized werewolf needs to Change only once a week. I'm not sure if the experiments will have any bearing on that, but I'm hoping not. But, before you argue, I'm not worrying about it. Because I'm not a trained werewolf, that might not apply anyway. It'd be nice to figure out how to control this, but whatever. I'll figure it out eventually."

"Good answer, but maybe we could look into your dad's contacts and see if any of them know anyone who could help?" I left the idea open for his disagreement.

"Yeah, maybe, but with all the luck you had with your 'tutor', you'll forgive me if I don't show too much enthusiasm."

"Nah, it'll be fine. But seriously, Margaret's teaching abilities were the least of her character flaws don't you think?"

"Ha ha, you got me on that one."

"Seriously though, I think Andrew did have a pretty good idea. It would probably be a good idea to get some kind of teachers. We can't keep stumbling around in the dark hoping we'll keep getting lucky."

"You're right. I'll ask Dad about it as soon as we get a chance. He has some people who work with a cabal who owe his some favors and they might be able to send some people out to help us."

"That sounds perfect. So exactly what are cabals? I know you've explained them, but I don't really understand. A bunch of different super naturals just got together and decided to make an organization?"

"Almost, but not quite. They did just decide to make an organization, but I was all sorcerers. They hire other super naturals to help with jobs that they are incapable of doing or if the job is too dangerous. Think Mafia, but much more organized. They're a little more fair also but their primary concern is money, so as you can imagine, their priorities can get a little skewed at times.

"And we're supposed to rely on these people for help?"

He gave a small laugh. "They're not actually that bad and besides, we have no one else to turn to." A pause. "Well I guess we could go to the interracial council, but that's probably not the best of ideas."

"Why not?"

"Well, because the Pack has delegates on the council."

A shiver ran through me, "This is the same Pack who sent out pictures of a guy carved up by a chainsaw right?"

"Uh, yeah, but they're not that bad really; as long as you stay off their turf."

"Which is exactly what we aren't doing by living in New York though, right?"

"Umm, yeah," he finally admitted. "I thought they were only stationed in Syracuse, but apparently I was mistaken." He didn't look like he was happy about it either. Not the Pack being in all of New York State, but him being wrong. Typical Derek.

"So, what can we do?"

"Like I said, we'll just have to count on the cabals. As long as we follow the rules things should be alright. Really though, we don't even have to worry about this too much until things with Tori are settled."

"Right. Well, okay then. Should we be getting back?"

"Sure, but before we go, let me see if I can relieve a little stress." Before I could even think of what his words meant, a small smile played on his lips and help pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my hands around his neck, surprised at first, but once he began to kiss me, I entwined my fingers in his hair. His kiss was a little more frantic than our previous kisses had been.

I think it was the reminder of everything waiting for us back at the hotel that made me desperate to forget about things, even if it was only for a second. Things had been so crazy, with assaults coming at us constantly barely giving me time to catch my breath. Which reminded me:

_Breathe, Chloe. Just break away for a second and breathe. Can you even imagine how much of an idiot you'll look like nearly passing out just because you got caught up in a kiss? Don't go back to flighty blond mode._

I gasped as I broke away, eyes locking with his. Our embrace wasn't even close to anything either of us was used to. It was hardly a wild and passionate encounter, but for a girl whose experience didn't stretch farther than holding hands and small kisses in hallways at school, this was practically scandalous. In a good way. But the blush spread across my face nonetheless. Of course, I almost wished I could just go one day without acting like a nine year old with her first crush.

_May I ask how many nine year olds would do what you just did?_

I smiled in spite of myself, and wrapped my arm around his waist as his arm slid around my shoulder, and I led him away like this was no big deal at all.

Of course the waves of reality once again came crashing down when I reentered the hotel room, but I now had a life vest, keeping me just above water. Almost on cue, when Derek and I sat down, Aunt Lauren and Kit rushed into the room.

"We have it," my aunt's eyes practically glowed with excitement. "We can find them, and we can hunt them down, and we can rescue that poor girl."

"Are you waiting for an invitation? Put the tape in the cassette player," Diriel's voice drawled from her original perch on the table, it didn't looks as though she had moved a muscle, which was definitely possible, all things considered.

Aunt Lauren didn't even spare her a glare, she just rushed over and did as instructed. Fortunately the footage was time and date stamped so we easily fast forwarded to two days ago between 9:00 and 10:00. It took a couple minutes but finally I saw it.

"Wait!" I shouted, "Stop the tape. Rewind. Keep going, keep going and there! Pause. See it? You can see Tori in the back seat of that SUV. They tied her mouth so she can't cast. I'll bet that didn't stop her from fighting though. That's our Tori." At hesitant chuckle from me Kit raced from the room and grabbed his cell phone, non-traceable I'd bet. I would guess that it was pre-paid and recently purchased.

As he went to call his contact, I breathed an audible sigh of relief. Finally we were doing something. We would have Tori back in no time. I settled into the chair, and instead of sitting in silence again, I ran my teacher idea by Aunt Lauren. She agreed immediately that we all needed to be trained so most importantly we could defend ourselves.

Honestly, I wanted to learn so I could know how to use my powers in a fight, but as long as she was agreeing, I wasn't going to argue. Plus, I really did need defense tactics to help me out, and maybe I could just learn some tricks of the trade. I hoped we could find people for Derek too.

Aunt Lauren was musing by herself, wondering who she could get for us. "Maybe Jaime, yes that's a good idea, I'm sure she could help." She turned her attention towards me, "Have you ever heard of Jaime Vegas?"

"Vegas? No I don't think so. Who is he?"

"_She_ is a famous television spiritualist."

"Yes, I'm sure a fake necromancer would be wonderful help."

She looked a little taken aback at the sarcasm in my tone. The "old" Chloe would never take up an attitude. "She's a real necromancer actually."

"A real necromancer would never publicize her talents, plus isn't it against the rules or something?"

"There really aren't any rules, but besides, she doesn't use her talents for TV. She fakes it during that part."

"Maybe she could help, can you call her?"

"Sure sweetheart."

With that, Kit strode back into the room, "It worked! They'll help us!"

**Authors Note: I got stuck in a few places so if it sounds weird just let me know. Tell me anything you do/don't like. I love to hear your criticism and your praise. It will help me in the end! Thank you!(:**


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